Thread by @gaydissection

finished 13 Sentinels earlier tonight. i don't have too much to say, but here's some

1. the prologue is the worst part of the game. if you can stomach the unfortunate anime balloon tiddies, naked girl in robot, and transphobic framing of an nb character, it gets better

2. the game is visually, mechanically, and musically stunning. it's gorgeous and well-made. if you want visual appeal and fun ludonarrative integration using technology as the conceptual axis, this is a winner. a la Nier Automata in nature

3. if you enjoy high concept science fiction, you will enjoy this game. it has a similar effect to games like VLR in that its initially narrow scope begins to gradually Expand into something greater than you could ever have known. very cool. that said,

4. this game definitely is more invested in explaining the science than it is invested in its characters; that's not inherently bad! but it does mean that the story is framed with a greater focus on the hard scifi than the personalities and psyches of the characters themselves

VLR to me is an example of both--extremely high stakes and high concept premise/scifi, while still being VERY grounded in the psychology and feelings and relationships between characters. AiTSF comes close as well, but is ultimately more insular in scope

5. this is a personal feeling that you may not share--that said, i found that many of the finer details and elements of the larger scifi structures they set up were too convoluted for their own good. and i say this as someone who loves zero escape,

i state that mostly to say "i'm not stupid or dismissing the game for being complex, it just absolutely overloads you with information and it could be delivered with more clarity". this is a risk involved with nonlinear narratives, but not always inherent

6. the lgbt rep is small compared to the majority of the cast (of course), but ultimately i found it charming and sincere. there's iffy language and framing around the characters in question, but the intent scans as overall positive.

7. the ending is sweet and ties it all together. i felt like they stuck the landing. that said, there are some crucial details that are just sort of left out entirely. maybe in scanning the mystery files you'll find them, but don't expect Every thread to lead somewhere

8. all in all, i want more games to be as ambitious as this one--i want large scopes, impossibly weird scifi, beautiful design, radical ideas. setting my preferences aside, it's fantastic.

my own preference favors a more intimate cast and more mental/psyche gymnastics

i could also do without the very bleh fanservicey elements that exist here and there, but i can accept that those things won't go away (unfortunately). what i dont understand is that this is an inherently niche game, so why...... do that. it sold 300k copies worldwide

so i dont really understand the Necessity of tired anime boobie if it wont increase sales- whatever. that is a different conversation gresbhdrfngh

ALL THIS SAID. 13 Sentinels is an extremely unique game with some fascinating scifi concepts. if all this sounds good, go for it

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